Elevating and conveying apparatus



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ELEVATING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS SASheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 18, 1953 INVENTOR. OAKEY SCHUCHERT May 14, 1957 O. SCHUCHERT ELEVATING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed May 18, 195.3

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OAKEY SCHUCHERT May 14, 1957 o. scHucHER ELEVATING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

Filed May 18, 1953 OAKEY SCHUCHERT May 14, 1957 o. scHUcHERT ELEVATING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS Filed May 18, 1953 INVENTOR. OAKEY SCHUCHERT United S .ares Parentif Patented May 14, 1957' This'invention relates to elevators and conveyors and concerns a chain or belt conveyorapparatusthat has `asfone of its purposes the transportation. of :bales of hay and packaged products to a storage area Vand the selectivedistribution thereof within suchfarea.

This new land improved apparatus embodies `an arrangemenrof readily available and, inexpensive-com "ponerits thatwill provide dependable-and'ftrouble.free

f'yopertion. `In view of its light'weighnandmaneuvera- L 'bilityfonefman for example canr arrange .the equipment "quicklylarid lea'sily for the transportation of'ipackaged ".pro'du'cts 'to a storage area andiperform .the"entire1oad ing and "distributing operations.

'Another'-bject of the invention Hisa conveyor that isreadily Sadaptablelfor transporting packaged products between points at' vthe' same or different --levelsnas -for instance the'loa'ding.v of baled hayinto.elevatedlstorage areas 'of barnslarid the like.

Another object of theinvention .is an elevator :and 'conveyor'th'at vby reasonfof itslow cost, maneuverability and versatility makes it an extremelyne'icientand:produc- 'tive"e'quiprnent, particularly adaptable forzuse .on -both "large and small farms.

Still another object of the invention'isa asimpleand 'effective'.bale loader designed and fabricated to provide 'dependable-.Serviceand one that can -be repaired and Ymaintained without the necessity for Aspecial knowledge 'and equipment.

A further object of the inventionv is Aan improved loader `and conveyor formed in sections that can be-easilytaken apart and reassembled for movement .from one location to 'another and wherein any number of sections maybe joined together for a single operation.

4'Another object of the invention is a new andfimproved nelevator and conveyor assembly.

"The above and other objects of the invention will become'appa'rent from the following description 'and'. ac- "cornpanying drawings `forming part of this-application.

zFig. 1 is a side elevation of one embodimentfofthe `invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the embodiment shown in Fig 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the loading platform and 'drive'mechanism illustrated in Figs. land 2;

' Fig. 4-is a side view of a single u-ngatedl section of the *embodiment shown inlFigs. land 2;

Figi 5 is a plan view of the conveyor-section shown-in Fig. 4;

` Fig. 6 is aside elevation ofa gated section for dis- 6 "charging transported objects at predetermined-positions; Fig. 7 4is` a plan view ofthegated-seCtiOn shown in lFi .6;

ig.Y 8 shows another embodiment of a gated-section "of^the"typ`e illustrated inl-iig. .6;

Fig.' 9-is av topview of the modified gated sectionishown `l-`ig.l`10 is a cross sectional view ofthe 'gated section of Fig-'9 .takennalongthe line 10-10 thereof;

Fig..11^is a cross sectional view of the `gated section of Fig. 9 taken along the line 11'-11thereofv and show- 5 ingfone -form of bracket for supporting certain conveyor sections above .thef-storage area; and

Fig. 12 is a cross sectional view of an end bracket as illustrated inthe forms ofthe invention shown'in Figs. 5, Tand 9 and taken along the-'line 12-12 of those figures. `Briefly,.` the.- elevatorand conveyorv according to -the --invention comprises-avloading platform and drive unit and a plurality of .light connectable -sectionsvthat can 'be connected to the1loadi-ng platform and to'each otherzto .form a conveyorand elevator readily adaptable to 15 vhandling, bales -ofhayVpaper-and other packaged materials. VCertainfsections.may be permanently or semi- `=permanentlyinstalled over .the storage area while the loading :platform and-'approach sections can be readily moved aboutV for use `with one or more sets of installed 2O sections. .Thus inthe -case=of farmapplications-where several hayfmows' are used, eachlmow may Ahavesections permanently affixed to -.the.roof.framing so thatf--a-single -loading platform with-onefor more approach'sections will serve all of. theimows.

Figs. i 1 .and 2.. .illustrate -an.elevatorconveyor :in .accordancekwiththezinvention and :positioned .to :load bales of .hay intotheahay mow-of1 a barn. In fthesedigures' \10 -denotes theeloadngxplatforrn #and drive mechanismlhe i approach..seotions.are-:denoted by -the-numerals '1L-.and '12-- while lthose sections -thatmmaybe-installed'within 'the mow are`denoted.'by.numera1s 13,.-14.and l5. -While '.lthe sections' .1-341'5 are 'show-n -supported nabove thefoor `17'. of .the barnfltb by attachment :to Lthe roofiraming l18 it is apparentthattheyacan besupported bynthe oor when itis desirablentotdo4 so. v:In-addition"each of-the sections 11A to .leissseverableone 'from xrtlie.other-and from the loading .platform-10r and -each sect-ionf-can be quickly and easilyldismantled'for-storing, shipping or transporting'. from. onesloca-tion i to another.

in detail in Fig. 3-and comprisesachassisl() having two longitudinal beams21 tied :together-with-front. and rear cross members -22 .(seeFig, 2). The rear Wheels l23 are -fastened to the .frame 20 by downwardlyl depending brackets A24 whilethe'front wheelsziare supported by an upper y`okc`26 with its legs fastened to `thesides of the frame'l`20fand. anlower-inverted yoke 27 having its transverse member 2S pivotally` attached tothe transverse member 29. Aof yoke26 byzmeans-of a'boltassembly 501'30. 'The aide-"31 carrying wheels 25-is supported by the vlegs of yoke-'27 which .is also. provided with a lunette '32 for towing the vehicle 10 from one placeto another. The height ofthe underl carriagedescribed above is A.preferably slightly lower thanrthefloor of aitruck body to facilitate loading of the bales-'33.l The upper structure of the carriage which comprises in effect the first section or loading platform of this embodiment of the invention consists of a base member 34 supported lat its ends by end brackets 35 and`36. As these brackets are identical to those used-on the conveyorsection shown-.in some- -what larger-scalein Figs. 4 and 5 and to'bedescribedin connection therewith a detailed descriptionwill.therefore vbe omitted. The' endfbracket 36 is fastened .toa' transverse angle member 37 having its ends' weldedfor'other- 5 wise secured 'to the carriagebea'ms 20. Apair'of arms 38, welded tothe .transversezmember.37,extends rearwardly to'support. a' pair of sprocketsi'39 a'd"-40-= keyed to a shaft 41 which in turnis'mountedn'journals Tcarried bythe' outer ends of 'these arms. Asimilar-'structure is provided on'thefr'ront` end of 'carriage'f20 'and 'comprises a *transverse angle member 42 carrying' 'the Iend'bracket MThe loading. platform and drive mechanism is shown 3 35 and a pair of arms 43 carrying sprockets 44 and 45 keyed to the shaft 46.

The sprockets 40 and 44 engage an endless chain 47 which lies centrally of the base 34 and is fitted with a plurality of spaced lugs 48 for engaging and transporting the bales 33. As will be described in connection with Figs. 4 and 5, the plank or base 34 in addition to providing support for the bales, cooperates with the end bracket 36 to adjust the tension on the chain 47 and prevent it from being dislodged from its cooperating sprockets.

The drive mech-anism includes the electric motor 49 as the propelling means although any other primary power source as a gasoline motor or the like may be used. The motor 49 is secured to the underside of carriage 20 and is coupled by a V belt 50 to a pulley 51 keyed to the countershaft 51' which is also carried `on the underside of carriage 20. The countershaft 51 is in turn coupled to the shaft 41 by a sprocket 52 keyed to shaft S1' and a chain 53 engaging sprockets 52 and 39. In this way, substantial speed reduction is -accomplished between the motor 49 and the conveyor chain 47, and in the event a foreign object becomes jammed in the mechanism at one point or another, the pulley 49a on motor 49 can be arranged to slip relative to the belt 50 and thus prevent serious damage to the equipment.

The remainder of the loading platform 10 consists of a single guide rail 53 on one side of the carriage 20 and supported by two upright posts 54 and 55 of angle iron or the like. The rail 53 is bolted rmly to the post 55 and is slidably mounted on post 54 by means of a slot 56 in order to compensate for slight variations in the distance between posts 54 and 55 brought about by the adjustment of end bracket 36 relative to the base 34 to remove unnecessary slack from the chain 47. When the tension of chain 47 is properly adjusted by means of the base member 34, then the bolt 57 in slot 56 is tightened to secure the rail 53. This structure enables the bales to be loaded directly from a truck or other conveyance onto one side of the loading platform without the necessity for any manual operations other than rolling them onto the conveyor platform. Moreover, the base member 34 and rail 53 are preferably formed of wood planking such as a nominal 2" x l0" plank for the base and a nominal 2" X 4" member for the rail.

The approach sections 11 and 12 are constructed somewhat similarly to the loading platform 10 and are shown in Figs. 4, and l2. Each of these sections has a basic structure comprising generally a base member 60 and xed guide rails 61 and 62. At the ends of the base member 60 iare transverse angle members 63 and 64 fastened thereto by end brackets 65 and 66. The end bracket 65 is formed of L shaped angle stock bent in the form of a U to flt the rectangular end of base 60. This bracket may be welded or otherwise fastened to the transverse support 63 and secured to the base 60 by bolts 67. A pair of arms 68 extends outwardly from the end bracket 65 for rotatably supporting two sprockets 69 and 70 keyed to a shaft 71.

The end bracket 66 is similar in structure to the end bracket 65 but, in addition, is provided with a pair of slots 72 so that the distance between the transverse members 63 and 64 can be adjusted to take .up slack in the conveyor chain 73. With reference to Fig. 12, it will be observed that the end bracket 66 may be welded to the transverse member 64. The base 60 is secured in position by the bolts 74 passing through holes in the base and engaging slots 72 in the end bracket 66. In this way, the spacing between the transverse members can be adjusted to compensate for,slight variations in the chains or to take up slack in the event the chain may become slightly elongated through use.

Each transverse member 63 and 64 is provided with a pair of upright supports 76 and 77 respectively for holding the guide rails 61 and 62. One end of each rail is bolted firmly to the upper end of one of the uprights 76 while the other end of the rails 61 and 62 has slotted openings 78 and 79 respectively for engagement with suitable bolts for securing them to the uprights 77. These slots 78 and 79 compensate for dilerences in the distance between the transverse members 63 and 64 resulting from the adjustment of the chain 73 as previously described. If desired, each approach section may also be provided with an intermediate rail support as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprising a transverse member 80 fastened to the base 60 and upright members 81 secured at their lower ends to their respective rails 61 and 62.

The individual sections such as 11 and 12 are linked together and to the loading platform by connecting brackets or links that space the sections one from the other and hold them in alignment. 'Ihese brackets are denoted in Figs. 4 and 5 by the numerals 82 to 85 inclusive. The connecting links or brackets 82 and 83 are welded to the ends of the transverse member 63 and extend outwardly from the end of the section and generally parallel to the base 60. Connecting links 84 and 85 are similarly fastened to transverse member 64 and extend outwardly from the other end of the section in line with brackets 82 and 83.

Assuming that the conveyor section of Figs. 4 and 5 transports bales from right to left as shown by the arrow, the preceding section, one end portion of which is illustrated at the right of the figures, is connected to the illustrated section by fastening its connecting links 82 and 83 to the connecting links 84 and 85 of the illustrated section. This coupling may be accomplished by bolts 86 and 87 or other suitable axial fastening means that will provide for pivotal movement of one section relative to the other. By connecting the forward end of one section to the trailing end of the succeeding section as just described the sprocket assembly of the preceding section, including the sprockets 69 and 70', shaft 71 and brackets 68', is positioned to receive the chain 73 which passes over the sprocket 70 of the illustrated section and the sprocket 70' -of the preceding section. Since the driving means is on the loading platform 10, chain 73' of the preceding section is driven and as it engages its sprocket 69' which is keyed to shaft 71', it in turn drives the chain 73 on the illustrated section. As in the case of the loading platform, the chains 73 and 73' include lugs 88 and 88 respectively for engagement with the bales being transported. Therefore, the chains 73 and 73 of successive sections must be synchronized so that a lug 88 on a successive section will engage a bale as the prec6gc'ling lug 88' is about to pass over its forward sprocket In like manner, the section following the one illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 is connected by its connecting links 84 and 85' and the conveyor chain 73" engages and is driven by the sprocket 69. In this way, any number of sections as 11 to 15 of Fig. 1 can be linked together and driven by a common drive mechanism at either end of the conveyor system. Moreover, it will be observed in Figs. 4 and 5 for instance that the connecting link bolts 86 and 87 are in line with the sprocket shaft 71' so that adjoining sections may be positioned sloped relative one to the other.

The gated sections illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 are p rovided with the same fundamental structure as the section shown in Figs. 4 and 5 and, therefore, the description of Figs. 4 and 5 applies equally to Figs. 6 and 7 with the exception of the guide rail structure now to be discussed. To simplify references to Figs. 4 and 5, like numerals have been used in Figs. 6 and 7 to denote like elements.

In these gures, the guide rails 61 and 62 (Fig. 5) have been replaced with pivoted rails 90 and 91 for discharging a bale on either one side or the other of the conveyor. For this purpose the upright rail supporting members 76 of Figs. 4 and 5 are replaced with upright shafts 92 journalled at the ends of the transverse member 63 by bearings 92. The pivotable section of the rails l90 and 91 are fastened to'the upper ends of their respective shafts by suitable clamps 93 bolted or otherwise secured `to the rail so that rotation of one shaft92 will in turn rotate its associated rail. The lower end of each shaft is fitted with a lever arm 94 for moving the rails from au open position to a closed position or vice versa. Any simple arrangement of ropes and pulleys may be used for the operation of levers v94, as for instance that arrange ment shown in Fig. l wherein ropes are connected to "each end of each lever 94 and passed over pulleys that may be secured to the wall of the storage area or the levers may be actuated by remote controlled power operJ ated devices'such as motors and the like.

The opposite end of this fully gated section is provided Awith short lixedly mounted guide-rail sections 95 and 96 *slidably fastened to the ends of uprights 77 by means of slots 97 and 98 and cooperating bolts 99 and 100. A pair of gate stops 101 and 102 welded to the uprights 77 overJ lap the free'end of their associated gates 90 and 91 to limit i-the outward movement of the gates to a position substantially parallel to the base member 60. For illustration, the open position of gate 91 is shown in dotted outline and will function to discharge the bale to the right.

In the assembly of the fully gated section, the chain 73 is adjusted in the manner described in connection with Figs. 4, and 12 by means of bolts 74 passing through the plank 60 and cooperating with slots 72 in end bracket 66. Upon completion of this adjustment the short rail sections 95 and 96 are adjusted to provide proper end clearances between the gated rail sections 90 and 91 and the rail ends of the preceding section denoted in these figures by the numerals 103 and 104.

It is apparent from the above description of the fully gated section that it can be linked with standard or ungated sections such as 11 and 12 of Figs. 1 and 2 or may be interposed between them. Moreover, many of the basic components of both types of sections are identical and interchangeable for instance the base plank 60, end brackets 65 and 66, the conveyor chains and -associated brackets. Furthermore, the rails 61 and 62 of the standard sections and the gated rails 90 and 91 in Figs. 6 and 7 may be easily fabricated of standard wood members having a nominal cross section of two inches by four inches that are generally available in all lumber yards. The unique arrangement of the elements of both types of sections enables them to be easily and quickly assembled in position for use and disassembled for storage.

The manufacture of this conveyor is resolved to the fabrication of a few easily formed elements most of which are common to all sections and the user can supply the wood members from local suppliers. In this way, a dependable and valuable piece of equipment can be marketed for an exceedingly low cost. If desirable, the wood members such as the bases and rails can be made of metal such as steel or aluminum.

In certain instances it may be preferable to have sections wherein only part of the guide rails is gated. These sections may be termed partially-gated sections and are illustrated in Figs. 8 to 11 of the drawings. In these figures as in the case of Figs. 6 and 7, certain structural members are identical to those described in connection with Figs. 4 and 5 and, therefore, like numerals have again been used to denote like elements.

The partial gates 105 and 106 extend over approximately half of the length of the section and are supported by upright shafts 92 in the same manner as described in connection with the fully gated sections of Figs. 6 and 7. The fixed rail sections 107 and 108 are supported in much the same way as the rails 61 and 62 of Figs. 4 and 5 except that a central rail support is required for the left end thereof. This support comprises a central transverse member 109 having upright members 110 and 111 fastened to the ends thereof. The transverse mem- 'ber 109 is bolted to the base.60 by bolts 112 and the rails 107 and 108 are fastened to the upper end of uprights 110 and 111 by bolts 110' and 111. The stops 101 and 102 maybe welded to the upright members 110 and 111 and also bolted to the rails by bolts 112 and 113. lThe right hand end of rails 107 and 108 are adjustably mounted on the upper end of the upright members 77 by means of slots 114 and 115 and cooperating bolts 116 and 117. The gates v and 106 are operated by levers 94 as previously described and the open position of gate 106 is shown in dotted outline.

It is apparent thatthis new and improved bale transporting device` as described above can be installed 'in a variety of ways to accomplish a given end. One arrangement for the use of this invention is illustrated in Fig. 1 wherein the loading platform 10 is positioned outside of a barn 16 with two standard sections forming an elevated conveyor from the loading platform to the opening 'of the storage area. The center point of these two sections may be supported. by two simple supports 120 while the upper end of section 12 may be supported by the adjoin- 'ing section 13 within' the barn.

The partially gated section 14 and fully gated section 15 are supported by the roof frame 18 as by simple metal hangers 121 fastened to upright members such as and 111 of Figs. 8, 9 and ll or to upright members 76 and 77 of Figs. 4 through 9. The lower end of section 13 is supported within the barn by a bracket 122 (Fig. l) and this bracket together with brackets 121 form the sole supporting means for all sections. Thus after the bales are loaded, the inside sections can remain in position within the barn while sections 11 and 12 can be disconnected for storage or for use with other similar sections for storing baled or packaged products or the like in other locations. Thus, with a single loading platform 10 and one or more approach sections 11 and 12 any number of storage areas on farms for instance can be quickly and easily loaded thus eliminating complicated and expensive devices or time consuming manual procedures.

Although this invention is particularly useful on farms and the like, it is apparent that it is of general usefulness in factories, plants and similar applications.

What is claimed is:

l. A conveyor comprising at least two connectable sections connected in end-to-end relationship, each section comprising a base member, a fixed end bracket on one end of said base member, a longitudinally adjustable end bracket on the other end of said member, a transverse member secured to each end bracket, an upright member on each end of each transverse member, a pair of guide rails xedly secured to the upright members of one transverse member and adjustab-ly secured to the corresponding upright members on the other transverse member, connecting links on the transverse member at each end of the section for interconnecting adjoining sections, a. transverse shaft mounted on one only of said end brackets, a pair of sprockets keyed to said shaft and an endless chain extending longitudinally of said base member with the upper portion of the chain supported by the base member, said chain engaging one of said sprockets with the other sprocket engaging one end of a corresponding chain on an adjoining section, and spaced lugs on said chain for engaging objects to be transported from one end of each section to the other.

2. A conveyor for transporting objects comprising a plurality of connectable sections of which at least one is a gated section, said sections being connected in end-toend relationship and said gated section comprising a base member, an endless chain encircling said base member and having object-engaging lugs thereon, a fixed end bracket on one end of said base member, a longitudinally adju-stable end bracket on the other end of said base member, a transverse member secured to each end bracket, a pair of upwardly extending rods journalled at the ends position crossing said base member, an upright member fastened to each end of the other transverse member, a fixed rail section carried on the upper end of each of said upright members including a gate stop for coopeartion with each movable rail member to limit the outward movement thereof, a transverse shaft mounted on one only of said end brackets and a pair of sprockets keyed to said shaft with one sprocket engaging said endless chain and the other sprocket engaging the chain of an adjoining section.

3. In a conveyor section having a base member and at least one pair of guide rails adapted to be positioned on each side and above said base member, and comprising an endless conveyor chain including object-engaging lugs, a pair of sprockets at one end only of said base member with one of said sprockets engaging said endless chain, railsupporting brackets at opposite ends of said base member, one of said brackets being fixed to said base member and supporting ysaid sprockets and the other being adjustable longitudinally of said base member and section-connecting -links associated with each rail-supporting bracket for connecting the section to adjoining conveyor sections.

4. A conveyor section according to claim 3 wherein rotatable means are provided for supporting at least one guide trail at only one end thereof for pivotal movement of said rail in a horizontal plane.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 357,145 Dodge Feb. l, 1887 469,293 Carver Feb. 23, 1892 530,296 Aiken Dec. 4, 1894 767,162 McNear Aug. 9, 1904 1,898,120 Farmer Feb. 21, 1933 1,982,824 Miltenberger Dec. 4, 1934 2,219,055 Pereslegin Oct. 22, 1940 2,729,345 Gisleson Jan. 3, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 57,836 Sweden Nov. 11, 1924 669,838 Great Britain Apr. 9, 1952 

